Circus of the Damned

“Why?” I asked.

He shrugged. “He seems nervous. I didn’t ask questions.”

“Smart man,” I said.

“Let’s keep moving,” Irving said.

“You sound nervous, too, Irving.”

“He calls and I obey, Anita. I’m his animal.”

I reached out to touch Irving’s arm, but he moved away. “I thought I could play human, but he’s shown me that I’m an animal. Just an animal.”

“Don’t let him do that to you,” I said.

He stared at me, his eyes filled with tears. “I can’t stop him.”

“We better get moving. It’s almost dawn,” Richard said.

I glared at him for saying it.

He shrugged. “It’ll be better if we don’t keep the master waiting. You know that.”

I did know that. I nodded. “You’re right. I don’t have any right to get mad at you.”

“Thanks.”

I shook my head. “Let’s do it.”

“You can put the gun up,” he said.

I stared at the Browning. I liked having it out. For security it beat the hell out of a teddy bear. I put the gun away. I could always get it out again later.

At the end of the stairs there was one last door—smaller, rounded with a heavy iron lock. Irving took out a huge black key and slipped it into the door. The lock gave a well-oiled click, and he pushed it forward. Irving was trusted with the key to below the stairs. How deep was he in, and could I get him out?

“Wait a minute,” I said.

Everyone turned to me. I was the center of attention. Great. “I don’t want Larry to meet the Master, or even know who he is.”

“Anita…” Larry started.

“No, Larry, I’ve been attacked twice for the information. It is definitely on a need-to-know basis. You don’t need to know.”

“I don’t need you to protect me,” he said.

“Listen to her,” Irving said. “She told me to stay away from the Master. I said I could handle myself. I was wrong, real wrong.”

Larry crossed his arms over his chest, a stubborn set to his bloodstained cheeks. “I can take care of myself.”

“Irving, Richard, I want a promise on this. The less he knows, the safer he’ll be.”

They both nodded.

“Doesn’t anyone care what I think?” Larry asked.

“No,” I said.

“Dammit, I’m not a child.”

“You two can fight later,” Irving said. “The Master’s waiting.”

Larry started to say something; I raised my hand. “Lesson number one; never keep a nervous master vampire waiting.”

Larry opened his mouth to argue, then stopped. “Okay, we’ll argue later.”

I wasn’t looking forward to later, but arguing with Larry over whether I was being overprotective beat the hell out of what lay beyond the door. I knew that. Larry didn’t, but he was about to learn, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.

Chapter 35

The ceiling stretched upward into the darkness. Huge drapes of silky material fell in white and black, forming cloth walls. Minimalist chairs in black and silver formed a small conversation group. A glass and dark wood coffee table took up the center of the room. A black vase with a bouquet of white lilies was the only decoration. The room looked half-finished, as if it needed paintings hung on the walls. But how do you hang paintings on cloth walls? I was sure Jean-Claude would figure it out eventually.

I knew the rest of the room was a huge cavernous warehouse made of stone, but the only thing left of that was the high ceiling. There was even black carpeting on the floor, soft and cushioned.

Jean-Claude sat in one of the black chairs. He was slumped in the chair, ankles crossed, hands clasped across his stomach. His white shirt was plain, just a simple dress shirt except for the fact that the front sides were sheer. The line of buttons, cuffs, and collar was solid, but the chest was laid bare through a film of gauze. His cross-shaped burn was brown and clear against the pale skin.

Marguerite sat at his feet, head laid on his knee like an obedient dog. Her blond hair and pale pink pants suit seemed out of place in the black-and-white room.

“You’ve redecorated,” I said.

“A few comforts,” Jean-Claude said.

“I’m ready to meet the Master of the City,” I said.

His eyes widened, a question forming on his face.

“I don’t want my new coworker to meet the Master. It seems to be dangerous information right now.”

Jean-Claude never moved. He just stared at me, one hand absently rubbing Marguerite’s hair. Where was Yasmeen? In a coffin somewhere, tucked safely away from the coming dawn.

“I will take you alone to meet… the Master,” he said at last. His voice was neutral, but I could detect a hint of laughter underneath the words. It wasn’t the first time Jean-Claude had found me fu

He stood in one graceful movement, leaving Marguerite kneeling beside the empty chair. She looked displeased. I smiled at her, and she glared at me. Baiting Marguerite was childish, but it made me feel better. Everyone needs a hobby.

Jean-Claude swept the curtains aside to show darkness. I realized then that there was discreet electric light in the room, indirect lighting set in the walls themselves. There was nothing but the flicker of torches beyond the curtains. It was like that one piece of cloth held back the modern world with all its comforts. Beyond lay stone and fire and secrets best whispered in the dark.

“Anita?” Larry called after me. He looked uncertain, maybe even scared. But I was taking the most dangerous thing in the room with me. He’d be safe with Irving and Richard. I didn’t think Marguerite was a danger without Yasmeen to hold her leash.

“Stay here, Larry, please. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Be careful,” he said.

I smiled. “Always.”

He gri

Jean-Claude motioned me through and I went, following the sweep of his pale hand. The curtain fell behind us, cutting off the light. Darkness closed around us like a fist. Torches sparked against the far wall but couldn’t touch the swelling dark.

Jean-Claude led the way into the dark. “We wouldn’t want your coworker to overhear us.” His voice whispered in the dark, growing like a wind to beat against the curtains.

My heart hammered against my rib cage. How the hell did he do that? “Save the dramatics for someone you can impress.”

“Brave words, ma petite, but I taste your heartbeat in my mouth.” The last word breathed over my skin as if his lips had passed just over the nape of my neck. Goosebumps marched down my arms.

“If you want to play games until after dawn, that’s fine with me, but Irving told me that you had information on the master vampire that attacked me. Do you, or was it a lie?”

“I have never lied to you, ma petite.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Partial truths are not the same thing as lies.”

“I guess that depends on where you’re sitting,” I said.

He acknowledged that with a nod. “Shall we sit against the far wall, out of hearing range?”

“Sure.”

He knelt in the thin circle of a torch’s light. The light was for my benefit and I appreciated it. But no sense telling him that.

I sat across from him, back to the wall. “So, what do you know about Alejandro?”

He was staring at me, a peculiar look on his face.

“What?” I asked.

“Tell me everything that happened last night, ma petite, everything about Alejandro.”

It was too much like an order for my tastes, but there was something in his eyes, his face; uneasiness, almost fear. Which was silly. What did Jean-Claude have to fear from Alejandro? What indeed? I told him everything I remembered.

His face went carefully blank, beautiful and unreal like a painting. The colors were still there, but the life, the movement, had fled. He put one finger between his lips and slowly slid it out of sight. The finger came glistening back to the light. He extended that wet finger towards me. I scooted away from him.